Intellectual Disability - Specialists and Information

Intellectual disability refers to the arrested or incomplete development of cognitive, linguistic, motor, and social skills. It is associated with a reduced intelligence quotient and can be classified into various levels of severity.

Below you will find further information as well as a selection of specialists in intellectual disability.

What is intellectual disability?

Intellectual disability refers to stunted or incomplete development of cognitive abilities. 

This primarily affects skills that contribute to intellectual ability, such as:

• Cognition
• Language
• Motor and social skills

A synonym for intellectual disability is also mental disability. According to estimates, there are approximately 400,000 people with intellectual disabilities in Germany.Intellectual disability is a lifelong functional impairment of the brain @ Yakobchuk Olena /AdobeStock

What forms does it take?

Experts distinguish between different levels of severity:

• Mild intellectual disability

Mild intellectual disability is characterized by an IQ of approximately 50 to 69. Those affected can:

• Communicate with minor limitations
• Perform daily tasks relatively independently and
• Perform simple practical tasks

In these cases, there are relatively few identifiable physical causes for the intellectual disability. 

• Moderate or severe intellectual disability

In cases of moderate (IQ approx. 35 to 49) or severe (IQ approx. 20 to 34) intellectual disability, language skills are significantly less developed. The same applies to independence in daily life and motor skills. 

Some individuals therefore require lifelong supervision.

In cases of the most severe intellectual disability (IQ less than 20), individuals are severely limited. They acquire virtually no language skills or practical abilities.

The more severe the intellectual disability, the more frequently accompanying physical symptoms occur, such as:

• Sensory impairments
• Epileptic seizures, etc.  

In addition, severe forms often have an organic cause, such as:

• Chromosomal abnormalities
• Early childhood nutritional deficiencies

Girl with severe intellectual disability @ mjowra /AdobeStock

What does treatment for intellectual disability look like?

There is no cure for intellectual disability. All treatment is aimed at enabling the patient to lead as fulfilling a life as possible. 

To this end, exercise and special education programs that involve caregivers are particularly helpful. Speech therapy aims to improve communication skills @ Dan Race /AdobeStock

Behavioral therapy and educational interventions are helpful for additional behavioral issues such as: 

• self-harm or 
• destruction of objects

In cases of extreme hyperactivity or aggression toward oneself or others, psychotropic medications may also be used in some cases.